What’s Better Canary, Angee, Nest Cam, or Nest IQ?

What’s Better Canary, Angee, Nest Cam, or Nest IQ?

By Rose Thibodeaux - 02/06/2018

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Home automation is a hot topic and Canary, Nest Cam, Nest Cam IQ, and Angee are five of the hottest products that fall somewhere between automation and self-monitored home security. Notice, I left Piper off of the list. When I originally wrote this article in 2014, Piper was strong. They lost momentum post an acquisition in 2014. And now? Piper is no longer selling Piper.

That said, I’ve personally tried all of them, except for Angee which is not yet shipping, and I live with Canary, Canary Flex, Nest Cam, and Nest Cam Outdoor.

Canary is a camera that’s been around for a bit. Canary Flex can work outdoors. Canary View is a cheaper version of Canary. Nest Cam replaced Dropcam and Nest Cam IQ is the latest Nest Cam which offers a few super-powered features. Angee is a yet-to-ship project successfully funded on Kickstarter. Piper nv was the latest version of Piper, adding night vision and other upgrades. All of the devices have several things in common. They all have the option to function without monthly fees, they are all easy to install and setup and they all provide some level of home security.

Video Quality – Who is the best?

While Canary, Nest Cam, and Angee offer many built-in features, the primary feature of all of the cameras is video surveillance. All offer FHD video while Nest Cam IQ takes it a step further by offering a 4K image sensor (8 Megapixels) backed by a 12x digital zoom and night vision. (As Canary Flex is an indoor/outdoor camera, I’ve compared it in greater detail to the Nest Cam Outdoor here.) While there are subtle differences between the units, all offer a reliable experience.

Video Quality Winner?

The winner for video is Nest Cam IQ followed by Nest Cam. Nest decided to focus on one thing and they got it right. The original camera offers night vision and bank-level encryption. It also has 8x zoom. As already mentioned, the IQ bumps this up to a 12x zoom backed by a 4K image sensor. However, Canary is a close third to Nest Cam, and the picture quality is truly stunning.

How is video stored?

Canary

Canary video is stored in the cloud. The free plan supports up to five cameras and lets you view the last 24 hours of footage recorded. Recorded clips are limited to 30-seconds in length. Their paid plan is called a “Membership.” With a Membership, you get 30-days of video history, Incident Support, unlimited video downloads to your phone, two-way audio, custom modes, desktop streaming, and a 2-year extended device warranty. You will also be able to share an unlimited amount of clips. You can share video via text, email, or even to social sites like Facebook. Membership is $9.99/month for the first five devices and $4.99/month for additional cameras.

Nest Cam

Nest Cam footage is also stored in the cloud. All users can review three hours of snapshot activity for free. If you prefer more, they offer two cloud storage options and both options carry a monthly fee. The base cloud package offers 10 days of rolling video storage. The pricing for the base package starts at $10 per month, or you can bump up to the 30-day plan for $30 per month.

Angee

Last but not least, comes Angee. Angee offers cloud storage without monthly fees. It uses smart triggers and video loops to record activity in a manner that is very similar to what Piper offered. Angee offers a small amount (1 GB) of cloud storage with little details on how the storage offering will work. One thing that sets them apart is that they also offer onboard storage, which can hold about one hour of HD video and record footage even if the camera is offline. For those who want more storage, Angee may offer paid cloud plans in the future, details on the plans are TBD.

Video Storage Winner?

The winner is Canary. The winner is Canary. Free storage plus the fact that you can bookmark an unlimited amount of clips gives it an edge. Depending on how Angee performs when released, it may take the lead. They plan to allow you to store clips and will also have local storage that can continue to function without power, thanks to battery backup. Of course, Nest Cam is the only option that offers 24/7 continuous video, and in some situations, having access to a continuous video history is necessary.

Which Mobile App Reigns Supreme?

All of the cameras support Android and iOS. Nest Cam and Canary also work with Apple TV.

Canary

For as long as I’ve been using it, Canary’s app has been easy to use. The app lets you view live and recorded video footage as well as set alerts for air quality, motion, and connection (i.e. if your camera goes offline).

The only issue I’ve had with Canary’s app is the same issue I’ve had with other camera apps; occasionally there is a lag when viewing video from a remote location. If you’re worried about something and want to check in, this can be frustrating. Viewing video when you’re connected to Wi-Fi is faster than using 3G or 4G; however, a recent update to the Canary app specifically targeted the lag, and they’ve reduced the average wait time to under 6 seconds.

Canary has other apps too including one for Apple Watch, Android Wear, and Apple TV. Their Apple TV app allows you to view a live video stream and view recorded clips from all of your Canary cameras. Finally, they do have a web app, but you must be a Canary Member to access this feature.

Nest Cam

Nest Cam has consolidated all of their cameras, including Dropcam, IQ, IQ Outdoor, Hello, and Nest Cam Outdoor, under the Nest app. In addition to cameras, the app supports the Nest Thermostat, Nest Protect, Nest Secure, and Nest Aware services. The Nest app also includes the option to add family members so you can share access to your Nest products with those you trust and a “home and away” feature to automatically arm and disarm your camera. However, after using the family sharing feature, I found it flawed as family member access is not customizable. For example, you can’t give your family access to just one camera nor can each family member set their own alerts. As an example, I gave my family access to a camera placed at my grandmother’s. They can now view the camera at my grandmother’s and also the camera I have at my house. There is no way to limit their access. And while they want alerts from my grandmother’s house, they don’t want alerts from my house. Unfortunately, it’s all or nothing.

Finally, although the Nest app provides an overall clean experience, the app is not impervious to the issues facing the Canary app. It also works best when streaming video from Wi-Fi and viewing video from a PC works better than using the app.

Angee

Angee plans to launch an iOS and Android app simultaneously. They will also offer a web browser experience. At this time, there is little information about the app, but they have shared an app preview. From the app, you should be able to view who is home and who is away as well as view a detailed activity timeline that includes logs from your camera and any attached sensors. Through the app, you can also set up push notifications of events, view saved video clips, live stream from your camera, and customize settings.

Mobile App Winner?

Nest Cam. The app is clean and simple to use. There is very little latency when trying to view video, and they frequently provide updates and new features that benefit, not punish, the customer.

Smart Home = Smart Products

Canary

Canary offers several built-in automation features like a temperature sensor, humidity sensor, and air quality sensor. You can set acceptable levels within the app and receive alerts if something falls out of range. For example, you can receive an alert if your home’s temperature rises above 80 degrees.

The built-in sensors become even more interesting if you own a Google Home device. For example, you can say, “Okay Google, ask Canary for the temperature at Home,” or you can ask Google to retrieve your home’s humidity or air quality. Canary also works with Echo Show, Echo Spot, and Fire TV. You can ask your Alexa-enabled device to show a live feed from any of your Canary cameras.

Finally, Canary works with Wink. Right now, the two are limited to arm/disarm triggers. If you leave the house, Wink can arm Canary. If you unlock your door, it can disarm Canary, and so on. While this is useful, Canary already had a fairly good automated arm/disarm feature through geo-fencing. If you want to connect them in a more useful way, you can tie Canary’s mode changes to channels on IFTTT via a Wink shortcut. You can then connect Canary to lots of smart things, from Amazon Echo to Philips Hue.

Nest Cam

Nest Cam and Nest Cam IQ, as standalone units, are not set up for home automation. However, they are such popular devices that they are compatible with a number of other systems such as Works with Nest. Through Works with Nest, the cameras can connect to other compatible devices for added protection. They can also connect to the Nest Protect and the Nest Learning thermostat.

Nest Cam also has its own IFTTT channel. IFTTT is a third party application that allows Nest to speak to other connected devices including Philips Hue, Amazon Echo, and even self-monitored home security systems like Scout. Using IFTTT, Nest connects to other devices using recipes, now called Applets, that work in an “If This Then That” format. For example, if Nest detects motion, it can trigger your Hue lights.

Nest Cam and Nest Cam IQ also work with voice-controlled AIs. All Nest cameras work with Amazon Echo Show, a version of Amazon Echo that has a screen. Through this integration, you can ask your Echo Show to display your live feed. Nest Cam IQ will also receive a software update this winter that will activate Google Assistant. This update will let you talk to Google Assistant, Google Home‘s AI, via the camera itself. In addition, you can ask Google Assistant to stream live video feeds of Nest Cam IQ to your Chromecast.

Angee

Angee is also planning to combine home security with home automation. They plan to launch their own IFTTT channel, and they sell security tags. Tags are sensors that can be placed to monitor for activity. They can monitor for motion as well as open/close movement. For example, they can let you know when someone enters your front door. The camera will also include both temperature and humidity sensors.

Finally, Angee has plans to be an Amazon Echo-like personal assistant. During CES 2018, I was given a hands-on demonstration of Angee’s voice persona-Angee. The feature is still in beta and had some hiccups, but it works. You can ask it simple questions like requesting the time, but you can also ask for information on security events. When Angee first announced Angee, Amazon Alexa wasn’t really a thing. Since Alexa and Google Assistant devices are now prominent in many homes, Angee’s voice assistant will not be as complex as originally planned. Angee plans to leave certain tasks to the competition. In fact, they’re embracing the idea of potentially adding other voice assistant integrations in the future.

During their initial campaign, they also claimed integration with LIFX, Ring, Nest, Sonos, and August. Unfortunately, they’ve decided to focus on Angee’s built-in features for now. Though they are strongly considering adding integrations in the future, a timeframe on integrations is TBD.

Smart Home Winner?

The winner is Nest.

Home Security

While not full-blown home security systems, all of the systems can be used for self-monitored security. They all offer some form of motion detection with alerts sent directly to a smartphone. Then, when an alert is received, all of the systems allow you to log-in to visually confirm the incident via a mobile app.

Canary

Canary has a built-in siren that can reach 100db to warn intruders, as well as a 3-axis accelerometer which will notify you if someone has tried to tamper with or move your Canary device (although the latter feature has never worked for me). The biggest downside to Canary’s siren is that it’s not automatic. You must catch someone in the act and press the siren button in order for the feature to work. And like a real home security system, it has multiple modes. It can sense when you are home or away and can change its settings accordingly. That said, Canary can only record while in Away mode, not Home mode.

To make motion alerts as accurate as possible, the camera includes smart features including adjustable sensitivity, Masking, and Person Detection. Masking allows you to create a custom shape within the camera’s field of view. Your camera will ignore the area which is handy for ceiling fans, televisions, etc. For free, Canary also includes person alerts. If the camera sees a person, your push notification will change from “motion detected” to “person seen.”

To expand on Canary’s ability to protect your home, you can add other devices and a Membership. With a Membership, Canary offers two-way audio, custom modes, and Incident Support. With Incident Support, they will assign a team member to help you sort through your video history to find evidence if your home is the victim of a burglary.

Canary Flex offers a new level of home security as it can be powered using a battery and can work inside or outside. They also sell several mounts for creative placement. With the right mount, you can hang Flex from a tree, put it in a cabinet, place it on a porch, or set it on a table. Canary Flex, unfortunately, lacks some of original Canary’s security features including a siren, HomeHealth monitoring, and Masking. And while we’re on the topic, Flex can’t do everything Canary can do. Let’s compare the two and throw in Canary View for good measure.

Canary All-in-One

Canary View

Canary Flex

Extra Sensors

Temperature, Humidity,
Air Quality, and a Siren

Usage

Works Indoors

Works Indoors

Weatherproof

Power

Wired

Wired

Battery

Connectivity

Wireless or Ethernet

Wireless

Wireless

Mounting

Upright Only

Upright Only

Upright or Wall-Mounted

Two-Way

Two-Way Audio For Members Only

Two-Way Audio For Members Only

Two-Way Audio For Members Only

Masking

Person Detection

Package Detection

Package Detection For Members Only

Finally, while Canary teased the launch of a HomeKit compatible camera, the project is a no go. Canary no longer plans to launch Canary Plus, a HomeKit-enabled camera.

Nest Cam

Nest Cam is for video surveillance only. The camera has built-in motion and sound detectors as well as two-way audio, but the motion detector is too sensitive to work as a home security device unless you’re willing to pay.

A Nest Aware subscription adds home security intelligence. It can add video history, better alerts, activity zones, person alerts, and the ability to create and save video clips. When you pay for Nest Aware, you are granted access to extra compute power, which is needed to run algorithms. These algorithms are used to intelligently decide which motion and sound events are important, and which are not. It can do this through face detection and depth sensing. A feature called Sightline also makes it incredibly easy to review video history from the mobile app. You can literally scroll through hours of footage and review snapshots at a glance. And of course, you can control multiple devices including the outdoor camera and Nest Cam IQ from the same app. Finally, Nest Aware adds intelligent sound alerts. The camera not only detects sound but can also tell you if it hears a person talking or a dog barking.

As a more expensive device, Nest Cam IQ includes a few extra freebies. First of all, it includes person detection for everyone, even those who do not subscribe to Nest Aware. Second, it includes a feature called Supersight. If the camera detects a person, it will use its powerful zooming ability and image sensor to lock in on their face and follow them as they move through the camera’s field of view. If you pay for a Nest Aware subscription, Nest IQ also includes facial recognition.

Nest has also launched a security system called Nest Secure. The system includes a hub that has a built-in 80dB siren (Nest Guard), two door/window sensors with built-in motion sensors (Nest Detect), and two key fobs (Nest Tags). The system sells for $500. They also plan to debut a video doorbell (Nest Hello). Like Nest Cam IQ, Hello can recognize faces if you are subscribed to Nest Aware. It even lets you record a message for when it sees a specific person. Better still, if you have a Google Home or any Google Assistant enabled device, Nest Hello will use the device to broadcast who’s at your door assuming it sees a “Familiar Face” and you’re subscribed to Nest Aware.

Angee

Angee is more than a camera, as it can connect to tags that help monitor entryways and windows. But, it also has some truly unique features that set it apart from the other options.

360° Rotation – Angee is part robot. It can automatically track motion and mechanically turn to follow activity.

Automatic Arm/Disarm – Obviously, Angee isn’t the only camera with this feature, but the approach is unique. Angee uses a two-step authentication process. It doesn’t just rely on your smartphone; it also uses voice recognition.

Angee offers activity zones for free. The camera includes 4 activity zones that you can use to designate what areas should be monitored and what areas should be ignored.

Battery backup. Piper also offered battery backup, but Angee’s approach is unique. If Angee loses power, it will continue to record footage to local storage and can run on battery power for approximately 8-10 hours.

Home Security Winner?

Nest is the winner, that is if you’re willing to invest. For one, Nest Aware makes Nest Cams a lot smarter, even offering facial recognition to Nest Cam IQ owners. Cloud storage with continuous recording is also a great feature. Finally, Nest Secure lends door/window sensors as well as motion sensors to Nest Cam’s intelligence.

Assuming Angee pulls through as promised, it also looks promising. It uses tags, voice recognition, and can mechanically track an intruder.

Warranty and Support

Canary units ship with a 1-year warranty, unless you upgrade to a Membership which offers a 2-year extended device warranty. They also offer a 60-day risk-free trial. If you don’t like it after 60 days, send it back for a full refund.

Nest Cam ships with a 1-year “replace or repair” parts warranty. Nest Cam IQ includes a 2-year limited warranty. Nest also offers a 30-day return policy though you must pay for return shipping.

Angee = TBD.

Support Winner?

Canary. Not only does Canary offer a warranty, but they are so certain that you will love your camera that they are willing to let you live with it for 60 days.

Buy Them and Overall Winner

Of the four cameras presented, Nest is the best. Yes, I’m leaving Nest IQ off of the list. After testing it, I don’t feel that the extra features are worth the extra money. That said, if you choose Nest, I recommend paying for Nest Aware. It offers person detection, which helps cut down on false alarms.

Canary was my top recommended indoor camera for years. It has an excellent video quality, automatic arm/disarm, and some home automation, but recent changes negatively affected users who don’t pay for a Membership. Though they reversed some changes, the process showed instability.

Piper fell behind post an acquisition. And now, they’re dead in the water. Though you can still buy Piper on Amazon, don’t do it!

Angee looks pretty amazing, but until I test it and it’s a reality; I can’t recommend it. The team behind Angee plans to start shipping by the end of this quarter (Q12018).

What a REALLY useful site ! I am in the UK as is my 95 year old mother and I need to monitor her (to facilitate her staying in her loved home) . Was sold on Canary until the massive functional devaluation just announced..so I guess the Nest it is. Thanks SO much all.

Hi Rose, great article and very useful information but my question is: do you have a review on Arlo Q, didnt’t seem to find one. Right now i am looking for a camera to keep an eye on the apartment, i’m not really interested in all the security options like geofencing or etc.. that they provide (i’ll be using it more like a webcam). The camera needs to have a clear FHD image, clear 2 way audio, no live viewing lag and has to be accesible from a computer. I was thinking about Canary (clear image but now desktop integration), Nest (expensive subscription, free yout just get the 3 hours of pictures) or the Arlo Q (i read some reviews that the audio is bad). What would you recommend ?

I haven’t finished the article yet, and don’t know when I will, but I’ve been testing Arlo Q for weeks. I haven’t ever tested a FHD security camera that didn’t have a lag, and I’ve tested a ton over the years. They all have a lag, and a higher resolution can sometimes make the lag more pronounced. If you are using the camera like a webcam and not a security camera, you could use Nest without a subscription. It would offer clear FHD video, two-way audio, and a web app, but will have a lag. Also, Nest two-way audio, like most cameras, is more like a walkie-talkie. You press, you talk. When you aren’t pressing, they talk. That said, Nest Cam IQ should be outfitted with full duplex audio soon, which will allow you to have a conversation without pressing anything. Arlo Q sounds okay to me, but it’s a walkie-talkie style feature as well. With any camera that uses walkie-talkie style two-way audio, you might miss the first word of a sentence now and then unless you time the press and talk just right. That said, I think Nest Cam IQ is your best bet. I don’t know when the updates, which include duplex audio, will hit the cameras, but I bet we will see them by the end of this year.

Rose – nice article. While comparing the Canary and Piper, I noticed all the products are sold out on the Piper website and they don’t seem to be responding to support or messages on their Facebook page. Are they going out of business? Also, the recent changes with Canary are very disappointing. Reviews of Canary on the Apple App Store are brutal – their customers do not like the new pricing plans.

There is most definitely going to be an updated version of this article next year with new cameras. I’ve already started testing. As a Canary owner, I feel disappointed too. Canary was my favorite indoor camera for years, but with the changes, my stance has changed. An interesting observation of Piper. I’ll reach out to them to see if I can get more information.

Hi Rose, fantastic article! Thank you for keeping it updated. Only from this article I learnt that Piper is not going to sell Pipers any more. Looks like they haven’t publicized it. As a happy Piper NV user, and in market for a new camera, I am definitely disappointed.

Could you also add a row for Video DoorBell in your fantastic comparison table? I see that Nest is going to deliver a doorbell in early 2018.

Once Nest Hello launches, I’ll probably do a separate review. Right now, I use the Ring Video Doorbell, but I would really love to test Nest Hello. I’ll be sure to compare it to other video doorbells when I do buy it.

I contacted Piper today since I own one.
I particularly like that if I get an activation in “armed mode” I will actually get a phone call, not just a text or email. Who else offers a phone call??!! I fear that Piper will eventually disappear.

Very informative. Thanks for the updates as well. I am looking for a system to monitor both my apartment and home (different states). I currently have ADS but would love to cancel and self monitor but I am concerned about missing notifications. I was leaning towards Canary but noticed you’ve mentioned recent updates. Can you advise if Canary now has the text notifications? What if any restrictions do these systems have in terms of proximity to the device and connecting multiple cameras in different locations on the same account?

Canary does not have text notifications, but it does have a custom ringtone that you can use for alerts. And you can connect multiple Canary cameras, even if they are in different locations, to one account. Nest also supports multiple locations from one account. Piper does not offer this. I don’t know about Angee.

Returning my Canary due to recent updates to the membership. Was really happy to own it for couple of months. Was a bit glitchy at times, but very good product in general: easy setup, good app (not always reliable though), automatic arming, very good video quality.

Used it to watch our cats while we are not at home over weekend or alike. Unfortunately recent changes for free membership (10 second videos previews only, no night mode) made it useless for me. So I am on a search for a more “honest” alternative now.

I agree. I’m so sad. Canary was my favorite indoor security camera for at least the past two years. I’ve been testing Arlo Q, and while I’m not officially ready to announce it as my new favorite, I will say that I’m impressed. It offers 7-days of free cloud storage for starters. The picture quality isn’t as good as Canary, so that’a bummer, but it has modes, lots of them, and they’re free.

I have two canary cams since one year. with the new update now they removed key basic features for which I actually bought these items. To get back these features (like night video monitoring) I should pay for the annual membership. Now if a thief enters my house during the night the camera does not record, really useful! I really have the feeling that his is kind of an extorsion.
Really, DO NOT BUY CANARY CAMERAS.

This is not just disappointing it’s a breach of contract. The canary was sold with these features, to put them behind of paywall is not right and seems illegal. This business practice is not ethical in the digital world. How can a company sell a product then disable features unless you pay more. They are saying they need more money but you don’t go back and force owners to pay if you’ve made bad financial projections, you grandfather them at least and go forward with new customers. Boxes are still being sold with the wording that these features are included. If they do this now they will continue to do this to customers.

I’m not an attorney so I can’t speak to legalities, but I read an article awhile back about the importance of reading the T’s & C’s of a product before purchasing. Even though I read the article, I still don’t do it. However, I just now took a look at Canary’s, “Canary is not liable to you or to any third party for any modification, suspension, or discontinuance of the Services.” Still not saying you don’t have a case, just wondering if this is how they are able to tiptoe around the issue? Out of curiosity, I read Nest’s too, and it’s the same, “Nest reserves the right, at any time, to modify, suspend, or discontinue the Services or any part thereof with or without notice. You agree that Nest will not be liable to you or to any third party for any modification, suspension, or discontinuance of the Services or any part thereof.” And then, of course, there are companies like Piper, and worse, Revolv, a smart home hub which was pulled from the market completely leaving a bricked device. As frustrating as it is, I’d imagine this type of inclusion in a company’s T’s & C’s is fairly common, and certainly a risk to anyone purchasing an electronic device that is tied to a service. Over the next couple of years, we will probably see more and more of this as companies figure out that selling hardware without a service isn’t sustainable when they achieve massive growth. If this is a deciding factor for you, Nest is probably a safer bet as their Nest Aware service is profitable and popular, they have a vast array of devices that help their bottom line, and then there’s the recent $3.2 billion Google acquisition.

Hi Rose,
Thanks for all the great posts. I am new to this and have been struggling to pick a system. I have a small beach house that we will rarely, if ever, be at in the Winter. I wanted a reliable camera to check on the interior of the house along with a temperature sensor to make sure nothing freezes. What system do you recommend. First I was considering Piper NV but I read there are problems rebooting (remotely as I live 4 hours away) when the wifi goes down. Nest nor Arlie have sensors. Is Blink the best one for me or did I miss one? Thanks

Hey. Blink and Canary All-in-One both have temperature sensors with notifications. I’d pick Canary personally. The picture is clearer, night vision is better, the app is cleaner, and it has the ability to create activity zones. However, Blink XT is not a bad choice. The original Blink lacks true night vision, which you might need to check-in on things. Blink XT will provide more free cloud storage, but Canary offers a limited amount for free.

What in your opinion is the best camera for apartment security? Would like a camera that’s easy to install and that would instantly notify me via text if someone enters my apartment. I thought about a Piper, but I’ve read that the alarm, once armed, is not easy to turn off. I think I also read that it cannot be turned off remotely. That might not please my neighbors.

First of all Rose, excellent comparative pieces. I too am looking to supplement my neighborhood watch with 24/7 capture of visitors to my cul de sac. I ordered a ring doorbell and I am considering a supplement with Nest Cam Indoor (if it’s a great option). My house backs up to a greenbelt and I am considering a Stick Up. I have wall mounted flood light which I can replace with a Kuna? Thoughts? For downstairs, and to fill in the gap between the front door and back sliding glass door, I am considering another Nest or perhaps a Canary or something in that category. I’m done with ADT and Digital Life although the latter still has sensors up. I’m retired military and I’m home most of the time taking classes and worry when I am out of the house. I am also a fan of Alexa and I have Wink friendly products. Thanks again.

I do prefer Nest for neighborhood watch because it records 24/7 footage, though you have to pay $10/month for the first camera and $5/month for a second camera. They have an outdoor camera too, but I personally didn’t like the 25-foot power cord on my porch. If you navigate here, hit control F, and then search for “Nest Cam Outdoor vs. Indoor”, you’ll find my opinion of the pros and cons of using the indoor Nest Cam vs. the outdoor.

If you are getting a Ring, you should check out the Ring Floodlight. It won’t ship until April, but it’s something to compare to Kuna. The downside to Ring is that they don’t provide free storage. They charge $3/month/camera. But, it will work with Wink!

Another Nest wold work just fine to fill in the gap between the front door and back sliding glass door, though you will again have to pay for cloud storage. As I’m assuming this specific camera will have a lighter job, I would also recommend either Canary or Arlo Pro, both offer free cloud storage and both are great cameras. Canary will work with Wink and offers a high definition image. However, get the original Canary, not the Canary Flex. Arlo Pro offers 7 days of free cloud storage, but the picture isn’t clear. Another advantage is that the cameras are cordless for creative placement, but you must keep a sync module plugged into a power source and Ethernet. If you go Arlo, get the Arlo Pro, not the Go or the original wire-free. However, I hear the Arlo Q/Q Plus are good options too, I just haven’t tested either.

Of all the cameras discussed, Kuna is the only one with an Alexa skill. But really I haven’t found a camera/Alexa integration to be overly useful. You can arm the cameras with your voice and ask Alexa to tell you about the last known motion event, but most of the cameras can arm using geofencing so they will know when you’re home and they’ll know the few times that you’re not :). Arlo, Canary, and Nest all have some sort of geofencing feature. Arlo, Ring, and Nest also work with IFTTT, which you might find more useful.

Which one are you going with? There are lots of good options depending on what you want to do. I’m not a fan of Piper right now. It’s been a long time since they launched anything new or released an update. I think the acquisition they went through affected things. If you found the answer here, I’m going to guess Canary. It’s a great camera.

I have have both the Piper Classic (no Night Vision) and the Canary. They both have their pros and Cons. I have once had the Guardzilla. I hated that one it didn’t work well. Piper Classic is a waste of money when it comes to night time viewing. Like I said it does not have Night Vision and I don’t know why any company that is in the business of making Security Cameras would make one without Night Vision. That is just plain DUMB!! But when my Aunt bought it she didn’t know that. She assumed it had night vision like the Canary did. I have ordered the Piper NV and I am waiting for it to arrive. It is way more expensive than the Classic and I surely hope it will be worth the money. What I like about Piper is the that it will call and text you when it detects motion. The Canary sends a notification but doesn’t text me. So if I am not near my phone when the notification comes in I don’t know I got one unless I look at my phone. The notification is not audible like a Text is. Now the sensitivity on the Piper is high. I have gotten calls when a motorcycle has passed my house or any other loud sound. But I still prefer to know immediately something is up than not. So I prefer the Piper for that. As well as you can view the room from 180 degrees and you can talk to family in the house and they can hear you. Canary only has one way audio. You can hear through the app but you can’t talk to your family. However, Canary has a self arming feature that I wish Piper has. When everyone with the app leaves the house Canary arms itself. Piper lets you know everyone has left but you still have to be the one to arm it. I prefer the self arming feature of Canary. Likewise as soon as you arrive back in the house Canary disarms itself. That is cool too. Piper if you forget to disarm it as soon as you walk in my phone starts ringing. So I have to remember to do it while sitting in my car before entering the house. What I don’t like about the Piper is remotely accessing it. It doesn’t connect quickly and sometimes it doesn’t connect at all. Those few seconds you are trying to check your house out remotely could be crucial.

Picture quality Canary vs Piper Classic. Canary wins hands down. The picture quality is superior to the Piper Classic. Now I surely hope the Piper NV is a vast improvement in this category.

I need a home monitoring system to have visual and audio monitoring and 2-way communications with my elderly in-laws. I need to be able to monitor them w/ my Android phone and communicate with them via the camera system. (One of them has dementia and may not know what to do if the phone rings and the other person was unconscious, for example.)

That’s literally all I need. I don’t need video storage or any alarm or anything. I suppose I might need to re-arm it remotely at some point.

Hi Carol, That’s simple enough. Nest Cam would be a great match. You can even use the talk and listen chime. Basically, a chime will sound to let your parents know you are about to talk. You need this as Nest, like most cameras, works more like a walkie-talkie. (You press, you talk, but to listen to your parents you must release the two-way talk button.) As an alternative, I recommend the Oco 2. At $160, it’s cheaper than Nest Cam. In fact, you can pre-order one now for $139 and it should ship within the next month. I ordered Oco, but haven’t received mine yet, I believe it should be here in a couple of weeks. You can pre-order here: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/oco2-home-monitoring-camera-with-sd-card-and-cloud-security/x/12694369#/. If you need something sooner, Nest Cam.

I’ve the Piper NV camera for about 3 month. I wouldn’t consider image quality outstanding. Actually, the whole circle image could be easily solved at the phone app. I suggested Piper that and I was dismissed without any further comments.

However, the worst part is the support arena. Last week I updated my Android Piper App and now it crashes every single time I start it up. I contacted their support and acknowledge the problem. Literally “Our update is causing a problem with a handful of customers, most of whom are using older versions of Android” and “We will solve it in a later release”. What I understand is “we know you cannot access your camera but we don’t care enough to try to help you: your phone is one of a handful that is totally out of luck, sorry!”. And of course that also tells me that it will only get worse since all the details that need fixing will require further updates. Of course, I have asked to return it and they come back with “it has been longer than a month” (the legal period). So I have a useless paperweight in my hands.

In my opinion, there are better cameras out there in the same price range that are not so dependent on Piper app and cloud. I wouldn’t recommend this one.

Excellent comparison, exactly what I was looking for. It’s crazy how fast these technologies are changing. I think the Smart Home and Home Security categories will also be a win for Nest as their WorksWithNest Partner apps mature.

Probably so. I like the changes Nest has made recently. So much so that I purchased the outdoor version (arrived yesterday). For me, the Nest Cam Outdoor seems to be a bit of a hardware miss, but their software is really killing it.

After more research, I like the idea of encountering an intruder BEFORE they get into your house. So outdoor cameras with 2-way audio is what I’m after now. I only see 2 main products in this area; Ring and Nest. I can’t believe Nest would offer an outdoor camera that is attach with a magnet. It’s probably better quality, but I can’t put a camera mounted by a magnet on the outside of my house. Ring has a better mount, and the free replacement warranty if someone steals the camera. What are your thoughts, and would you be interested in doing an outdoor camera review?

I’m working on it now. I have a Ring, so I can compare it to Nest for you. Right now, I want to chuck Nest Outdoor out the window (frustrated), but give me a week or so to see how I feel. I’ll post the link to the video review here when I’m done.

Thanks for the review! I learned a lot that I didn’t know before. Ring DOES have a stand-alone outdoor camera that you can mount anywhere – I’m not sure if you were aware of that yet. But your review wouldn’t change that much anyways.

So…Canary Flex launched today. It looks pretty cool. I added it to “your” article, but will update this one a little bit too as it is an indoor/outdoor camera. It can use battery or a power cord. If you pay, it can even use 4G. I have some questions about it, but in general, it looks really cool and it has two-way audio :). I ordered one. (I have a problem.) It should be here in December.

I really like the subsonic technology they included. Without knowing more information, I’m not sure how well it actually works, but not needing additional devices (to eventually need batteries) is attractive. I really like Angee too, I think the only thing that is really missing from it is a loud siren.

Hey Jeremy, I’ve added Angee to the article though I’m still waiting on some information from Team Angee. I decided against Cocoon because we have a similar article comparing Cocoon and Piper here. I did ask the author of that article to read through it and update it if needed. Thanks for the suggestions!

I wish there was more information on both the Cocoon and Angee. Regardless, thanks for adding Angee to your article. Have you heard of CleverLoop? https://www.cleverloop.com/

It looks really promising as well! It just seems that every product is lacking at least one key feature for me. Here is a list of features that I would like in a home security device:
– Reasonably priced
– At least 1 camera with night vision, possibly 2 or 3.
– High quality video with wide range of view
– Loud siren
– Motion and sound sensors (a bonus would be other sensors, like temperature, humidity, etc).
– Free encrypted cloud recording
– Ability to work with IFTTT and other services
– Auto arm/disarm
– Slick mobile device app with notifications of suspicious activity
– Door sensors would be ok, if the base station requires them
– Face/voice recognition (bonus feature)
– Optional privacy mode
– Can know the difference between an intruder at 1am or your friend coming over at 1am

I probably have forgotten some features, but if you know of anything that matches, let me know!

I have heard of Cleverloop. Even though it doesn’t record sound, I would pick Arlo over Cleverloop. Arlo just announced geofencing and an IFTTT channel.

Now, to your criteria… I haven’t tested a single camera with a loud siren. Though some have sirens, they aren’t loud to me. Your best bet might be to find one that can connect to a security system or a smart home hub and add a siren. But in general, you are right, every camera is going to be missing at least one of your desired features. And of course, reasonably priced is subjective.

Facial recognition ties into recognizing an intruder versus a friend. I’m assuming you want the camera to be always on, while ignoring you and your guests? You would have to teach the camera to recognize all of your friends. Hopefully, you only have a couple 😀 because the process will be painful. Netatmo Welcome still doesn’t recognize me sometimes and it’s known me for a while. Putting my hair up, not wearing makeup, wearing a hat, are all things that can throw off its game. Also, I haven’t tested a camera with facial recognition that works well at night (past 1am). Your best bet would be to find a camera that offers geofencing and to give your friends access. Or, you could purchase an August Smart Lock and give out virtual keys. In general, you are almost describing a personal robot. Check this article and read the paragraph about facial recognition.

I have the piper nv in my main home and the nest cam at my vacation home. I prefer Piper by far. Nestcam allows for remote surveillance but does not record video unless you pay for it. I had motion detected and all you get is a picture in the email. They do not phone or text you either. Piper will email or text and show a short clip for free. I find it superior for my needs.

I am wondering if you have tried the nest cam? How do you like it compare to the canary(all in one)? I am trying to decide one the two.
Also, do you know if there’s any way to watch canary on desktop / laptop?

I own both the Nest Cam indoor and Nest Cam Outdoor. I’m assuming you want to compare the indoor to Canary. For indoor use, I recommend Canary over Nest because it offers free storage. The major benefit Nest has over Canary is that it can record continuously. However, you have to pay at least $10 per month to access that feature. I use Nest to record my front yard because I want a 24/7 video history, I use Canary inside because it can automatically arm itself when I’m gone and will record events for free. You cannot watch Canary from a desktop or laptop.

You’re welcome. They both provide a beautiful picture quality, better than the dozens of other security cameras I’ve tested. However, Canary does not offer two-way audio. I figured this might be a feature you want in case you want to talk to them. If you want to use two-way audio, go with Nest.

07/20/2016

Joe Carroll

It’s not that great IMO. Yeah, I can turn on my AC when it gets hot, but the rules are simple. You can’t build complicated actions. I picked up a Wink hub yesterday and I am hoping that I can get more integration that way.

Joe, Just curious if you were willing to share your experiences with Wink and Canary working together. I have been a Wink user for sometime now and have been eyeing some of the security camera options out there. I like the fact that Wink and Canary talk together but I don’t want to decide just on that one feature alone. How are you liking it so far?

2016 isn’t the published date, it is the last updated date. This article was written September 26, 2014 and it has been updated 37 times since then. Yes, 37. Technology is ever-changing and this article is kept up-to-date to reflect that. Some of the recent changes are actually documented and dated at the very end of the article, if you are curious. Also, we’ve gone hands-on with the cameras since the original publish date.

The canary is nice, but it’s not really a home security system. It doesn’t have pro-monitoring, so you don’t have the support from trained professionals. The technology is top-of-the-line and the packaging is amazing. The Blackbox from Armorax has to be one of the few that are better than the canary. The Blackbox is an all-in-one DIY system with pro-moniroting–it couldn’t be better.

The Canary doesn’t have pro-monitoring but if something’s really wrong, there’s an emergency button and it alerts the authorities which is figured out by the app according to your location so that’s good enough for me!

Canary should be launching professional monitoring within the next year or so. It will be interesting to see the actual details of what that looks like. Originally they were stating $10 per month but we’ll see what the actual price is at launch.

Got my Canary in but the problem is that most of the promised features don’t work yet. Canary says that they are in the works but I don’t understand why they would ship a product lacking most of the promised features like learning.

I opted for the Piper NV and it’s working well for me. The night
vision is pretty solid and I can monitor my entire room. While I haven’t tried Canary, I can recommend Piper. I am no technical wizard,but I haven’t had any issues with it and it was easy for me to setup.

I am leaning toward Piper too. I waited forever for Canary to come out. I assumed that they were taking forever because they were going to launch a perfect, functional product but it seems like they are still experiencing some newbie pains even after taking so much time to launch. I can’t decide between the first Piper and the second. That’s where I’m stuck at right now. I’m not sure that I need the night vision and the regular Piper is pretty tried and true. It’s an $80 price difference between the two Pipers and besides night vision it just looks like a slightly better camera – 3.4 Megapixels vs 2. But I don’t want to be left behind by buying old technology. decisions decisions

Hey LaShonda. I don’t think you will be left behind. The original Piper is still actively for sale through Piper and on Amazon. If that’s what you want and if you don’t care about night vision – go for it!

I have the Canary and I’m loving it… free cloud storage, alerts are en pointe, night vision is super crisp, there’s an option to sound the siren or call emergency right on the screen while you’re streaming live. It’s pretty amazing. But if you’re gonna opt for Piper, I’d recommend paying the extra $$ to get the night vision because what’s the point of home security when it’s practically useless when it’s dark?

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